A reason for the professional cost of Companion services is honesty, confidentiality and privacy. Very early on in the process, all parties sign Non-Disclosure Agreements limiting any disclosure of identifying information. Your information will remain in complete confidentiality from the moment you fill out the contact form. I provide background reports, Lexis-Nexis and other references as desired.

Additionally, your children, a close friend, or other advisor is welcome on our initial Zoom call. Jumping into something new can be hard, so I welcome the questions and opinions of your trusted circle.

Adventures are negotiated on a case by case basis. Though paid travel companion work is less common here in the U.S., we do have a set of standards we adhere to and follow an hourly rate schedule similar to other professionals, like legal and financial advisors.

Adventures start with a Zoom call (or phone conversation if you prefer) where we get to know one another a little bit and establish the foundation of our professional relationship. This is a 30-minute conversation to see if we’re a good fit for one another. It’s an ideal opportunity to ask any question you have about me or companionship. If we decide we’re a good fit, we can discuss outings and adventures.

If you’re in the Lake Tahoe, Sonoma-Napa, or San Francisco area, an outing can be as short as 3 hours. This includes a range of events, from a day at the SF MOMA, to weddings, birthdays, or other more obligatory events.

If travel is required, adventures may be 3 days or longer.

Because solo travel for women can get more challenging over time, single women from 65-90 most often make use of a paid male travel companion. Of course, anyone who has an interest in and ability to travel—but doesn’t want to do this alone or with a family member—can hire a professional to help with the journey.

The service I offer is especially valuable to women who’ve had trouble finding fun and reliable travel partners in the past and are ready to stop traveling alone. Adventures may be 3 or more days.

Roughly a quarter of all bookings are done by younger family members. They hire a companion to bring a single parent to an event—like a family reunion—or even escort them on a family vacation.

Sometimes, companionship comes in the form of a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list present to a parent or older relative not into traveling alone. On a trip like this, family members often join in at various points on the journey.

The client or their travel companion can do the planning, but most often it’s a combination of both. An adventure can be anywhere from an afternoon or evening to whatever both parties feel comfortable with and can be available for, be it a week on a boat or two weeks in a foreign country.

Family and friends may lack the traits of a good companion, but even if they do have them, their availability might not line up with the best window for travel. Hiring a professional minimizes the drama that can happen when one family member receives special treatment and attention. 

Plus it takes a lot of stress away. With a paid travel companion on board, you can enjoy yourself more completely and bring yourself more fully to the event or trip.

An adventure can be aquatic body massage at a heated pool, time at the beach, a trip to a National Park, wine tasting in Napa, or even a day at a museum.

When it comes to events like birthday parties and weddings, a travel companion will pick you up, escort you while there, talk as little or as much as you like, and bring you home at the end of the day. 

Best of all, with a buddy by your side, you can stop thinking of yourself as a someone fated to either travel alone or pass up important events and opportunities because of safety and reliability concerns. 

A companion is a reliable paid professional you can count on to help create memories you’ll cherish. With a professional companion handing the details and standing by your side, you can say ‘yes’ to events you might otherwise say ‘no’ to or even travel to new exotic places—be it the French Laundry in Napa or the Auberge Nicolas Flamel in Paris.

That said, a companion is not a medical aide, handyman, personal chef, gopher, or therapist.

Over time, you can expect a companion to become a trusted friend while still maintaining the professional status that keeps you—the client—in the driver’s seat of what will likely become a unique and meaningful relationship.